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Long Beach State engineering students within the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) were recently honored by the national organization for their efforts to increase the number of African Americans in STEM fields.

The National Society of Black Engineers honored the Long Beach State chapter as the 2018-19 Small-Sized Chapter of the Year during its annual convention, which took place last March in Detroit.

“We believe one of the things that will help our students to be engineers, is to see engineers that look like us,” fourth-year mechanical engineering student Jeray Terrell said.

In this case, “small-sized” means a chapter with 25 or fewer members. According to Terrell, the honor was partly given in recognition of Long Beach State chapter members’ work to encourage young people to consider scientific and technical careers through the national organization’s Pre-College Initiative.

“Their selflessness and commitment to uplifting their community was unmatched this year,” NSBE Region VI Chairperson Naeem Turner-Bandele said. “At almost every activity Long Beach State NSBE held this year, they made sure to invite and collaborate with other Southern California NSBE chapters, alumni and local high schools. Long Beach State NSBE understands that success is measured not by what you do for yourself but by how you help others.”

Long Beach State chapter members’ outreach efforts have taken them around Long Beach, to meet students at Cabrillo High School, Ernest S. McBride Sr. High School and Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science.

Long Beach State chapter members’ work has taken them around Long Beach, meeting students at Cabrillo High School, Ernest McBride High School and Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science.

“We encourage them and share our personal stories, because we’ve gone through struggles that they’re going through,” said Allura Jackson, a fourth-year computer engineering student. “We want to be the kind of role models that show them that they’re not alone.”

Members of the campus’ NSBE chapter displayed the silver cup given with their national recognition at a table set up for the Diversity in Engineering event held April 22, an event that highlighted students’ projects and cultural activities.

“Inclusion makes everyone stronger,” Dean Forouzan Golshani said while welcoming students to the event.

“Engineering teams are the strongest when there is a diversity of opinion, because each one of us brings to the table a different perspective, a different set of perspectives,” he added.